Trump waives Russia-linked sanctions, citing national interest

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday condemned the White House’s waiver of key provisions of a recently enacted package of sanctions aimed at curbing Russia’s ability to prosecute its war against Ukraine.

“… The decision to undo all of this, to block all of it, seems wrong to me,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X. “And it definitely helps only the Russians. It only fuels their satisfaction and their desire to keep killing people.”

President Donald Trump signed an executive order late Friday waiving key parts of the new U.S. sanctions on Russia.

“I have submitted to the Congress a certification that the issuance of such a waiver is in the national interests of the United States,” Trump wrote in Friday’s order.

The House passed the Russia sanctions bill on Sept. 16, and Trump signed it into law two days later. The bill was introduced over a year ago, and its primary backer was the late Lindsey Graham, a veteran Republican senator who represented South Carolina.

Titled the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, the legislation targeted Russia’s economy, intending to penalize the country over its continued full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The act required the president to increase duties on all Russian goods imported into the U.S. by up to 500% no later than 30 days after enactment. It also required Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries including China and India that are among the top five purchasers of Russian crude oil or gas.

Trump’s latest order waives these two parts of the Graham Act and comes two days before the law’s implementation deadline. However, the order preserves existing sanctions on Russia under earlier executive orders.

Zelenskyy said he expects Trump to waive other sanctions on Russia, too.

“Sanctions relief will continue,” he posted on X. “I think the diesel deal and the move regarding the Lindsey Graham Act are not the end of it. Unfortunately.”

The law could also sanction Russian leaders, officials, and financial institutions, and expand sanctions on Iran.

Oil sales revenue is critical to funding Russia’s war effort.

The move also comes a week after the Trump administration temporarily waived sanctions on Russian diesel exports through April 2027 to ease a supply crunch caused by the war in Iran.

High fuel prices are a sensitive issue for voters ahead of midterm elections on Nov. 3. Trump’s Republican Party holds a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress.

“The suspension of some of the provisions of the Graham Act marks an important and truly historic moment,” Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s economy envoy, said in a post on X.

“The U.S.-Russia economic dialogue and peacemaking efforts will continue,” Dmitriev added.

But Trump’s opponents have criticized the move.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who also drafted the Graham Act, condemned the latest waiver.

“Donald Trump confirms again that he stands on the side of a bloodthirsty thug & the enablers of Russia’s war machine & against the majority of Americans, their representatives in both houses of Congress, & our European allies,” Blumenthal said in an X post.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Friday, Zelenskyy had warned that the U.S.-Russia diesel agreement could set a precedent for further sanctions relief, while highlighting Ukraine’s continued reliance on U.S. military technology and intelligence despite efforts to develop alternatives. 

“Sanctions will be lifted after gas,” Zelenskyy said. “They will be lifted on something else. Then this will come to the banking system, certain individuals, chemical industry.”

Earlier this week, reports emerged that Ukraine has restricted SpaceX’s Starlink military application, Starshield. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a post on X that the U.S. government and president were ultimately responsible for any curbs on the network.